Tertiary education is responding to the sustainability challenge with Western Sydney University’s new Bankstown Campus incorporating a disused car park in a new building that has notched up the area’s first 6 Star Green Star Design & As Built rating.
The new $340 million campus claims to set a new benchmark for Bankstown CBD buildings with its high-quality indoor air, acoustic comfort, sunlight levels, responsible materials supply, diverting construction waste from landfills, and overall lifecycle strategies.
Opened in March 2023, Western Sydney University’s new Bankstown Campus developed by Walker Corporation can host up to 10,000 students and 700 staff.
The building that includes about 349 sq m of operational driveway to the existing old car park and vacant lot which totals around 3,329 sq m in its design will now serve as a landmark that improves access to education and employment opportunities for the local community and students estimated to deliver over $140 million annually to the Canterbury-Bankstown economy said Walker.
Key project consultants included architects Lyons and HDR on base build and interiors respectively and built as builder.
Patrick Polomka, the senior project manager from Walker Corporation, said
“Our vision centred around creating a versatile 18-storey tower to create unparalleled opportunities for students, businesses, and the local community to connect in a technology-rich learning environment connected to public transport, retail, and landscaped outdoor spaces.
“We also worked with our project consultants to ensure the teaching spaces were designed with flexibility and adaptability in mind, so they can be easily retrofitted as requirements change.”
Some other sustainable aspects of the building include:
- 6600 individual sunshades incorporated into the façade
- carpets made from recycled ocean waste and fishing nets, upholstery with recycled PET bottle fabrics
- cradle-to-cradle certified furniture and finishes
- sustainable design practices that aim to reuse all materials and eliminate waste
- a 35-kilolitre rainwater tank to reduce potable water consumption and serve washdowns, toilets and urinals
- solar roof panels
- green power purchase agreement where the university will have 100 per cent green power supply for a minimum of 10 years after practical completion
- high performance and tight façade to guarantee cool air stays in the building during summer, and provide warm air in winter
- high-technology thermal and lighting systems
The project also contracted waste and recycling company Bingo, which helped recycle over 90 per cent of all construction waste generated from the project.
Polomka said that among the more challenging issues in the construction were decisions on the types of products to be used – especially with volatile organic compounds, – a large group of chemicals found in many wet-applied products and engineered wood products.
“Once these chemicals are in our indoor spaces, they ‘off-gas’ into the indoor air we breathe causing eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, and more serious illnesses in cases of chronic exposure, Polomka said.
“In this building, we ensured that contractors only used products with low VOCs – all products were closely screened by Built to ensure a healthy and hazard-free space.”
WSU vice-chancellor and president professor Barney Glover said in a statement that the Bankstown City campus is a significant achievement that delivers positive outcomes for the whole community.
“It allows us to continue to improve higher education equity and access, particularly for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and those who are the first in their family to attend university, and to boost graduation rates and employment outcomes for the people of south-west Sydney for generations to come,” Glover said.
Federal Minister for Education Jason Clare attended the campus’s opening ceremony and said, “This used to be a council car park. Now, it will be a university campus home to 10,000 students. I want to see more of this sort of change in Western Sydney.”